Happy Hamster Computers

Great shop for your computer problems. I bought a laptop from them a year ago and it’s been great — they did a good job of identifying my needs and got the right machine for me. Today I brought that laptop in because it was running slow. That had it back up to speed and ready in less than 30 min. The two guys in the shop were helpful and friendly — all of them have been. Keep it up.

So today we called first, because we were driving in all the way from Gresham. Lucas was very helpful on the tele, and again in person when we arrived about an hour later.
We wanted to determine if our old hard drive had anything of value to extract, so he set us up to review the data. Not only did this take little time to do, but after scrapping the hard drive because it didn’t have on it what we were looking for, he noted we could recycle the CPU with Hamster. Our other issue was with a broken casing on an older laptop. He dissuaded us in investing in a repair that didn’t interfere with the operation of the laptop.
Lucas was attentive, quick, and professional and made us feel comfortable in an environment, I personally sometimes feel intimidated in.
We will return to Happy Hamster with any potential computer issues in the future.
Thanks again, Lucas!

It should have been a simple fix… I hadn’t used my desktop in so long I had forgotten my password. Should have been easy… until you factor in the attempt at self repair. But even though I couldn’t tell them what my friend had done trying to «fix» it and they kept being thwarted by the black screen of death they didn’t give up. My fears of lost data and files were laid to rest and they fixed the damage done and perhaps they pitied me but they didn’t even charge me… I have a laptop that possibly hates me and has frequently tried to ruin my life so I will be back in there soon with that. So basically… easy, quick, fixed and I was out a there in no time!

I’ve been going to Happy Hamster Computers for years, but only when there’s a persistent problem with one of my PCs that I just can’t figure out myself. They are simply the best, and here’s an example.
Last week my anti-​virus program, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) started acting up – stalling in the middle of a scan. I tried everything, but couldn’t figure it out. So I went into Happy Hamster on NE MLK Blvd. and a fellow named Gabe W checked things out. He couldn’t find the source of the problem, either, which can happen occasionally with software.
The next step would have been for them to run an «industrial strength» virus scan and use other tools to figure out the problem, but that would have cost some money. So Gabe said, Why spend the money when you can just install another AV program — one called Avast that’s better than MSE anyway — and be done with it?
So he installed it, configured it, and sure enough, it later found a deep-​rooted virus that was probably the source of MSE’s stalling problem.
Anyway, when I went to pay for the 40 minutes or so that Gabe spent working on my machine, he declined. No big deal, he said. You’re a regular customer, we’re glad to help.
C’mon, who does that anymore?
It’s just one reason I love Happy Hamster. They’ve got people like Gabe who know what they’re doing. They’re smart, ethical, quick to respond, and they don’t nickel and dime you for every minute they spend helping you.

Awesome people! Just went there to repair a log in protocol error. They fixed it for free!

These guys are awesome, best computer repair ever. Twice when I have gone in because of malware or adware on my cpu that was making it unusable, they were able to fix it really fast. Today the guy actually fixed for me immediately while I waited, it took about ten minutes total. Their prices are unbeatable too! George Marquez was the one who helped me out and he was genuinely really friendly too!

Misa Valdez provided me with deft and very speedy repair to my laptop computer when I visited Happy Hamster Computer Repair earlier today. Not only did he provide the repair, but he also added an app that helps periodically to refresh the computer, and he did it all with a big smile. Thanks, Misa!

If you don’t know much about computers and are seeking an informative, helpful and kind experience I would suggest you go elsewhere for that.
Within the first two minutes of my exchange with the owner of Happy Hamster it was made obvious to me that their company policies seem to avoid anything even close to service. Although my computer is old and outdated I would have appreciated suggestions on how to proceed with the problem instead of condescension, insensitivity and arrogance in response to my «vintage» machine. Before I could even tell him what was going on with my computer, the owner told me that it was not worth fixing for a variety of reasons. He went about this by interrupting me multiple times as I attempted to explain to him that I simply needed it to work for the next two months, not the next two years. I was merely seeking information and instead received attitude and a callous and cold tone when I informed him that I thought he was being rude.
I would hope that as a company they could reassess their definition of «value» and remember that it is people not computers that they are actually serving. Perhaps if they were more open minded about what they were willing to «work» on they would realize that computers can last more that «4 – 5 years» (which is what I was told is the lifespan of a computer)…
I am writing this review from my old IBook G4 that I bought in 2004… and guess what… IT IS WORKING.

Lucas was very friendly while telling me that my hard drive is seriously dead and will need major work that I can’t afford. It was tough news to hear, but he delivered it well. He also didn’t charge me for the diagnosis, even though I think it took slightly more than 10 minutes. He is a merciful man.
I’m having a hard time ranking it five stars after being told that my drive is beyond repair, but it’s really not their fault. They are friendly people who can help.

Great guys who really know their stuff! I came in at the end of the day trying to fix a problem with my external HD and they were happy to run diagnostics and fix the problem. They were very friendly over the phone and just as helpful in person.
This was probably the smoothest and most efficient computer-​related problem i’ve ever solved. I’ll definitely take a trip to the Hamsters once something inevitably comes up with my god forsaken technological devices :)

First, realize that the Fremont location is, at this time, an adjunct storefront, less than a mile from the MLK location, which is where the computers end up for repair. The ratings of the MLK are more realistic.
Okay, so I dropped off my computer at MLK after spending about 40 minutes at the Fremont store… confusion with their sign in computer data base (ominous sign).
My computer was working fine except that I couldn’t open PDF files and my Word Starter program wouldn’t open. No loss of speed etc…
Payed the $ 69 diagnostic fee which gets applied to work performed. The final bill was $ 150 and I was told there were several viruses on my computer. I asked ‘which viruses?’, was told Trojan horses, etc. I asked for documentation on which viruses,. the tech went to the copy machine to copy the sheet he had detailed the work, came back and said the copy machine doesn’t work. He then said he’d email it to me. He didn’t, and when I called back a couple of days later requesting the list, my request was again ignored. Not sure what they are afraid of.
I also found that there was no virus protection program on my computer after the repair. I was told that they would install a good virus protection program. I installed Microsoft Security Essentials myself.
Avoid this shop.

I used these guys a year ago because they were by my dads place of business. I brought my laptop over because it was having all sorts of issues (potential malicious software, hardware issues), and I wanted to get my music on to a removal harddive so I could transfer it to another computer. Problem was, the malicious software wouldn’t allow any usb port to be accesses… pretty sketchy.
I left it with these guys for an hour or two and they did it fully and completely, while scanning the music for any leftover malicious software.
They were so inexpensive and helpful that we brought my dads business computers over and had them install wireless cards and a few other components. At the end we realized we had no cord for the desktop computer, and they threw one in for free.
Here’s to giving back to good people! These guys are great, don’t got to some GeekSquad «self-​legitimized» tech repair #fightthepower and stay local.
Cheers!

Really helpful people, they got me set up when I needed a really old keyboard type to go with an old PC that had some software I had to get to. Great customer service — you will feel like you are being helped by real humans, not just corporate minimum wage people as at some other computer places. We’ll definitely go back for any other PC needs!

both the fremont location and the mlk location are professional, friendly, and efficient. the pc returned back fixed and working swimmingly. we had a medical situation arise at the fremont store, and they handled the scene like pros… thx for your medical help too.

I woke up this morning raring to go! Went to my office to get a job done for a client who must have it all by tomorrow and my computer was dead! I mean, it wouldn’t even come on. So I called Best Buy and they said it would be $ 100 and a 2 – 4 day window to even look at it … but for another $ 100 they could do it in 24 hours. So I called my faithful computer guys at Happy Hampster Computer Repair and they got me in and up and running within hours. They fixed my computer while I waited and the charges were half what Best Buy was going to charge me! I highly recommend Happy Hamster for all your computer needs.
They will even build you a custom computer and my quote was so reasonable! I’m hoping this computer will last me a few more months so I can get through Christmas before I have to buy a new one!
OH BTW HAPPY HAMSTER… YOU NEED TO ADD YOUR PHONE NUMBER REALLY LARGE ON YOUR 1ST PAGE OF YOUR WEBSITE… I had to dig for the number on your website. That should be bold, front and center!

These people are THE BEST. They helped me with two different broken laptops and helped me navigate HP’s nightmare purchasing process when my brand new laptop died. Wonderful wonderful company.

I took my computer in with sound problems for the free diagnostic. The man at the counter told me the techs would be in at 10:00 a.m., and call me between 12:00 and 4:00 p.m. They close at 5:00 p.m. No one ever called so I called and was told no techs were available so I just went to get my computer. There was a note written on it saying no sound problems could be replicated. All well and fine, it was free after all. But I don’t believe they ever did a diagnostic because the problem remains. It was a complete waste of time.

Happy Hamster is a great company to work with, that I can confidently recommend to help you with your personal and business computer needs. I have been going to them for about two years and they have helped me with laptop purchase and setup decisions, virus removal and laptop repair. Their staff is very professional, knowledgeable, friendly and provide excellent service. I liken them to that trusty auto mechanic that once found you can rely upon them and know that they are going to take care of you.

Lucas is wonderful! I was so sad. thinking my laptop was forever damaged by my kitty when she got her claw caught in the top of the space bar and, when I took her off the computer, SPRING went the bar.
I didn’t even need a new keyboard! Lucas was able to easily put back together what I had been trying to for over an hour at home.
Now I know where to go should my laptop act up on its own — or another kitty decides to pull off a key or the space bar.

My beloved laptop, the window to my world, the jukebox of my life, kept BSODing (blue screen of death-​ing) while doing some basic stuff. it would restart a-​ok, and then 45 minutes later crash again. It was frustrating, worrisome, and down-​right annoying. I couldn’t even get a proper back-​up to my external hard drive done. After looking at the event logs and realizing I had no idea what was causing these failures, I meandered down to Happy Hamster.
I was originally diagnosed with a failing hard drive. It was going to cost about $ 200 to upgrade to a new drive, install, and transfer all my data. Booo. I was told that my computer would be run through other diagnostic tests to see if anything else was wrong (please, not the motherboard) and be ready in about 2 days. Well, 2 days went by and I stopped in to see what was going on. Turns out it wasn’t the hard drive, so they had to run more tests.
Fast forward a few more days– I received a phone call from HH telling me my computer was ready, in great condition, and it was not going to run me $ 200. Woohoo, cheaper than quoted! Only $ 79. And ever since, he’s run just fine (yes, my laptop is a boy, his name is Wadsworth).
All the while service was friendly, courteous, and professional. I hope nothing else happens, but would rely upon Happy Hamster for my computer fixin’ needs.